Manuscript Contents

Saga in Icelandic

1. Hrólfs saga kraka (3r–17v)

Rubric: Hrölffs Köngs Kraka saga Er Riede Dana vellde. og kemur hier fyrst fröda þättur.
Incipit: [M]adur Er Neffndur Hälffdän Enn Annar Fröde. Brædur Tueir og konga syner, og stÿrde sijnu Rijke huor þeira. Häldän kongur var hijr og hægur giæfur og gödlyndur, Enn fröde könge var enn meste riffballde. Häldän ätte þriu born, tuo sune og eina döttur er Signij hiet, hun var ellst og var gifft Sæuare jalle.
Explicit: Var haugur orpenn Effter Hrölff köng, og lagtt hiä honum suerded Sköffnungur og sinn haugur handa huorium kappa, og nockur vopnn hiä ad auku. og Endar hier suo loksinnz saugu hrölffz köngs kraka og kappa hans.
Note: The text is incomplete, with several leaves missing between fols 8 and 9.

1.1. Two verses (17v)

Rubric: Vÿsa M(agnus) J(ons) S(onar) til Gamanz
Hrölffur krake, köngur j Danavellde
mælltt er ei hiellde,
ä mundar ellde,
medann ad Liffde soma skÿn,
Lÿst mine take, Loffed hanz enn i kuellde,
og ad hinn fellde,
ovffuinn sellde,
Ägiæt dæminn siöle dÿr,
view med sann, er vædtt vmm þann,
rausnar freak affrekz mann,
ad villdara fann, ei verda enn hann,
vmm vero᷎lld i heijdur huo᷎rtt sem snÿr.

Rubric: Ønnur hinns sama
Hrölffur kempann krake,
king best make,
Liffde leingst vmm spate,
med lyst og heffdar kuake,
hann þö rauna rake,
veÿrde i Balldra take,
vmm syder aff systur hrake,
sikling skarft ä bake.

Note: The verses are laid out in two columns below the end of the saga.

Physical Description

Support: Paper
Number of leaves: ii + 18
Dimensions (leaf): 202 mm x 155 mm
Dimensions (written area): 175 mm x 145 mm
Catchwords: Yes.
Foliation: Later foliation: Fols 3–17 are foliated 1–15 in red ink by Kålund.
Condition: Average: Several leaves are stained. The MS leaves have been cropped, but with no apparent textual loss. Fols 3–5 have minor damage near the gutter with some text lost.
Number of hands: 1
Scribe: Magnús Jónsson í Vigur
Additions: First front flyleaf, verso: top left corner, “AM 284, 4to”; top right corner, on a small overlaid slip, “AM | 284, 4to”; bottom left, “15 bl. (+1 00 AM 0 000l) | 3/2 87.”.
Second front flyleaf, recto: Centred at the top of the leaf are the identifying notes “Hrolfs saga Kraka | desunt nonnulla | 284.”; bottom right corner, the shelfmark “AM 284, 4to”; top right corner, “a”.
Fol. 2r: The envelope of a letter to Árni Magnússon, bearing his address. The text reads:

Stör gofigum Virdug ligum og hatt ockt
udum, hanns konglegur Marests Secreteranum
herra Arna Magnus syne, mijnum mikes
virdandi Elsku Rijkum og mio᷎g kyærum
brodur þettad þienustu samlega og
i göd og trauste.
ad Skalhollte.

Fol. 2r: in the bottom right corner is written the shelfmark “AM 284, 4to”, and in the top right corner, “6”.
Decoration: The manuscript has a low level of decoration. A higher level of script is sometimes used at the beginning of new sections.

Date of origin: c. 1650–99
Place of origin: Iceland
Provenance: The manuscript may have come into Árni Magnússon’s possession through Sigurður Jónsson, the brother of Magnús í Vigur. Magnús may therefore have copied the manuscript for his brother, or it may have been borrowed.

Repository: Den Arnamagnæanske Samling, København
Collection: Arnamagnæan
Shelfmark: AM 284 4to
Other identifier: No. 1017 in Kålund’s catalogue (1888: 536)
Other catalogue descriptions: Handrit.org | Stories for All Time

Catalogued by SMW | xml description (GitHub) | xml description (OpenDocument file)
Last updated: 2023-12-03